With one last stop at at Ladurée we are finally ready to return to the states. We are sorry to leave France — even after three weeks. I wish every American could come to visit this country and see the trimuph of man in the arts, food, and culture. When you are getting depressed about our species, these cities and sites remind you of what were are capable of being.
Continue reading “Au Revoir France: Some Parting Pieces of Advice”
After leaving Normandy after a wonderful time from Honfleur to Omaha Beach, we drove to Paris. We are staying with friends who have a home in Colombes, a suburb of Paris. We have spent roughly a week in Paris. This is the first time for the kids and they were awestruck. The sheer beauty and deep history of the city is overwhelming and a perfect culmination of our three-week tour in France.
Continue reading “Americans in Paris: The Turleys Descend Upon The City of Lights”
Respectfully Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty-Guest Blogger
After the news over the past few months about the global uprisings against tyrannical and non-responsive governments, I have pondered why the United States has not had more people in the street protesting the economic inequality that we are facing here at home? Continue reading “Is An Economic Revolution Possible in the United States?”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
According to a Wall Street Journal article, Richard Fisher, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, found that since June 2009 37% of all net new jobs in America were created in Texas. Even though Texas is an energy state benefitting from high oil and natural gas prices, Fisher touts Texas’ business friendly environment, its right-to-work laws, and its “tort reform”– a $250,000 cap on punitive damages.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
An article in the June 2011 issue of Health & Wellness magazine, entitled The Different Genetic Code of Men and Women, and written by the magazine’s editor, Angela S. Hoover, is embarrassingly wrong.
I will focus on one of her statements, you can read the rest of her cluelessness in the links below.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
After hitting the landing sites from June 5, 1944, we proceeded to another highlight of our trip through France: Omaha beach. While the American cemetery closed just as we were walking up, we went to the beach near Vierville-sur-Mer. We were clearly in the areas code named Charlie and Dog Green. It was spectacular.
Continue reading “The Turleys Land At Normandy: Omaha Beach”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
“People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?” Rodney King 5/1/92
The arguments and divisions politically here and throughout this country are rampant and destructive. Anger and hatred of others of differing opinions rises at times to fever pitch and I admit that I am part of the problem as much as anyone else is. This is a somewhat different piece in that I am going to present some national problems, as I see them and elicit your comments on them, in an attempt to discover whether there is some common ground agreement, on some things plaguing our society. While I am more interested in whether or not people agree that these are indeed problems for us all to consider and work to solve, it is certainly apropos for people to comment on what they believe the solutions to be.
This is an experiment on the viability of people agreeing on the premise that a problem exists in a given area. We cannot begin to resolve issues, unless we first agree that they are issues to be contemplated by the entire body politic. My hope is to engender real, civil discussion and perhaps at the end reach something like consensus. This is not a plea for Bi-Partisanship because to me that is a fantasy, whoever may utter it. To be “partisan” is to hold strong opinions and srong opinions do not resolve themselves into agreement. The resolution reached by “partisans” is always one of compromise, without either side changing their core beliefs, but agreeing to take part of the loaf. I am “experimenting” to see if many of the diverse viewpoints represented here can at least agree that a specific issue is indeed a problem, or if it is indeed an issue. Beyond writing this, I will not take part in the ensuing discussion, since the formulation itself indicates my views on whether these are indeed problems. I will limit my questions to legal issues, with no particular order of importance intended.
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
A star danced,
And under that
was I born.
~ William Shakespeare
Continue reading “A Star Danced and My Granddaughter Was Born!”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
A sad chapter on Hurricane Katrina closed yesterday with convictions by a federal jury of five New Orleans police officers stationed on the now infamous Danziger Bridge. The five were accused of killing two unarmed civilians and wounding four others and then engaging in a brazen five year coverup. However the jury did not find that the deaths of teenager James Bissette and mentally challeneged Ronald Madison constituted murder. Rather the killings were found to be a deprivation of civil rights.
Since I was a little boy, I have had a dream of visiting Sainte-Mère-Église. First known to me through the great World War II movie The Longest Day, I became even more fascinated with the city as I read more and more military history. Finally, at 50, I had my chance and visited the lovely town with my family — jabbering non-stop about dates, times, and people in the battle. It was everything that I wanted it to be. The locals love Americans and they have left a life-sized mannequin hanging from the church where John Steele once dangled.
Continue reading “The Turleys Land At Normandy: Sainte-Mère-Église”
Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
Police in Renton, Washington are seeking an unknown cartoonist for cyberstalking. To that end, officials have obtained a search warrant from a local judge to discover the identity of the anonymous cartoonist. The alleged crime this cartoonist committed? Posting cartoons online parodying the Renton Police Department and referring to real life internal affairs incidents at the Renton PD in the dialog. It is important to note that neither is the Renton Police Department named nor are the real names of any people attached to the Renton Police Department are used in the cartoons linked posted by KIRO TV. The videos are not in a format that can be embedded in WordPress, but the Jail Parody and the Locker Room Parody can both be seen at KIRO TV’s website.
Parody is protected free speech in many cases, but the case law is unclear in providing bright line definitions of what does and what doesn’t qualify as parody. This often leads to detailed case by case examination of claims. When the parody involves copyrighted materials, there are guidelines and tests to apply in determining if the parody is legitimate. Generally speaking, there are two lines of defense involving parody: the free speech defense based in Constitutional law and the fair use defense based in copyright law. As these parodies do not involve copyrighted materials, the fair use defense is not relevant here. The free speech defense is another matter. As a matter of Constitutional law, parody is protected free speech. Is the Renton Police Department attempting to use a criminal statute to persecute a critic engaging in critical parody and repress the cartoonist’s 1st Amendment Free Speech rights? Some think that’s exactly what they are doing.
Continue reading “Police Seek To Prosecute Persecute Unknown Cartoonist”
Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
I’ve been gathering information for a couple of weeks for a post about ALEC—the American Legislative Exchange Council—an organization that I had never heard of until earlier this year when I was doing research for some of my previous Turley Blawg posts. I wanted to write up an extensive and cohesive post for you—but I’ll be on my way to the hospital shortly. My daughter is due to deliver my first grandchild—and she wants me with her for the momentous event. I thought I’d provide you with excerpts from a few articles, videos, and links to a number of other articles about ALEC, a behind the scenes organization that helps corporations provide state legislators with model legislation at meetings and conferences that the legislators take back to their states.
Recently, The Nation—in collaboration with the Center for Media and Democracy—did a series of investigative reports and developed a website called ALEC Exposed, which has a wealth of information about ALEC.
From John Nichols’s introduction to the ALEC Exposed reports in The Nation:
Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists frustrated by recent electoral setbacks, ALEC is a critical arm of the right-wing network of policy shops that, with infusions of corporate cash, has evolved to shape American politics. Inspired by Milton Friedman’s call for conservatives to “develop alternatives to existing policies [and] keep them alive and available,” ALEC’s model legislation reflects long-term goals: downsizing government, removing regulations on corporations and making it harder to hold the economically and politically powerful to account. Corporate donors retain veto power over the language, which is developed by the secretive task forces. The task forces cover issues from education to health policy. ALEC’s priorities for the 2011 session included bills to privatize education, break unions, deregulate major industries, pass voter ID laws and more. In states across the country they succeeded, with stacks of new laws signed by GOP governors like Ohio’s John Kasich and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, both ALEC alums.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
A trooper with the Maine State Police clocked a red Pontiac doing 71 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. As the trooper was making a turn to pursue the Pontiac, a motorcycle passed him. After a brief pursuit the trooper lost sight of the Pontiac and arrived at a fork in the road. After proceeding a brief distance and not seeing the Pontiac, the trooper returned to the fork and saw the motorcycle, operated by Ronald A. LaPlante.
Continue reading “Information-Seeking Stop Was Unconstitutional”
From Honfleur, we were finally able to launch our much anticipated landings at Normandy. As a military history nut, this has been a dream of mine for many years. We started with two of the airborne landings on June 5th and then proceeded to Omaha beach.
Continue reading “The Turleys Land At Normandy: Pegasus Bridge”